Giving
by nelliel3
Summary: Loke/Lucy fic. One-sided NaLu in the begining. DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL, ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OR ANYTHING OF THE SORT! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS THE PLOT!
1. Chapter 1

Okay. He was man enough to admit it.

He was completely and utterly in love with Lucy Heartfilia.

This had not been an easy realization for him. A lion's pride is his everything, and part of his pride came from his outstanding moral code, which he followed adamantly. Falling in love with his master had not been a part of that code. In fact, he was completely against it. He had even sworn an oath when he had first became a celestial spirit to never develop a personal bond with any of his future masters. They were the lords, the spirits their servants. Most Celestial mages did not take this to the extreme that Karen had, but still, the feeling was there. That feeling of slight hostility and tension between the mages and the spirits. Most (spirits) were not in any way disobedient, but they were still people. They still had feelings. Most were not entirely pleased with the situation, but hey, that was their purpose in life. They had to serve.

And then there was Lucy. Oh, dear Lucy.

She broke all of those rules. That sacred distance between master and spirit. No longer were any of the spirits in her possession treated like servants. They were treated as equals. Lucy fought her own battles, she just called on the spirits to ask favors. From _friends._

Of course he hadn't quite believed it at first, but from the moment he realized that Lucy was a Spirit mage, he had been paying close attention to her. He didn't want to, but he thought that he might have to intervene if he found that she was another of those that treated their spirits like trash. He quickly found out that that wasn't the case.

Maybe that was what he was drawn to. The absolute difference in attitudes between Lucy and Karen was like the difference between night and day. Karen had used her spirits in awful ways, going so far as to use poor Aries as a shield. Lucy…Lucy would sooner kill herself than let another one of her spirits take a blow for her.

Now that isn't to say that her spirits wouldn't take hits for her. No, they all loved her so much that even Aquarius would sooner die than let Lucy be hurt.

But then again, Lucy was unlike any other celestial mage that the spirit world had ever seen. There had been talk of mutiny from other spirits when just the stories of how well Lucy's spirits were treated got around. Just like that, traditions millennia old were thrown out the window. All thanks to Lucy. Even the spirit king loved her. Never, in all his years had he seen the spirit king come before a mage. There was no key to the spirit king. No one had the power to call him. He had come on his own free will. Lucy didn't know it, but the spirit king held her in the highest of high regards.

He sighed. None of these reasons seemed right. Maybe…

But just then, he felt her. The feeling of her magic, wrapping around him and pulling him down to the human world felt like going home. It was the softest of feelings. Feather light, if that. No, Lucy's magic felt more like sunlight. So warm and full of life. It was a welcome thing to Loke. At least it was until he felt himself fully cloaked in her magic. There was an intense pain accompanying the initial feeling of warmth that her magic gave. That was the thing about magic. The more you used it around certain people, the more accustomed to the feeling they got. The more accustomed, the more perceptive they were. Through magic, friends could always express how they were feeling. Even if most of the time they didn't want to. The severity of Lucy's pain made him speed his descent to the human planet.

He appeared next to her and looked around. They seemed to be in her apartment. She was laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling. She heard him arrive and her puffy red eyes widened in shock.

"Loke? What are you doing here?"

He looked at her, confused. "You summoned me…" the sentence trailed off as he realized that she wasn't holding his key. She was good, but there was no way a mage could call their spirits without holding the key. When he came out without being summoned, it was because he could feel that her life was in danger and he forced the gate open on his own.

She shook her head, "No, I didn't." She seemed to realize that she was crying and immediately whipped her eyes. Her face was splotchy and red and her voice shook from previous sobs. Something was terribly wrong with her, but he knew he couldn't just come out and ask her. If he did there would be some very bad consequences.

"Well, as long as you're here, can I make you something to eat?" She asked. Loke figured that the best way in would be to get her talking about something until she could have the presence of mind to explain.

"Just water is fine."

She nodded, and looked relieved for something to do. It was obvious that she didn't want to explain the reason that she had been crying.

A few minutes later, they were sitting around her kitchen table making light chitchat. They were both dodging the topic, but Loke knew that if he was ever going to be able to explain how he felt, then he was going to have to show her that he cared enough about her to want to make her feel better, despite the possible consequence of having her hate him.

However, after fifteen minutes of watching her stare blankly out the window, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to take any more of it.

"Lucy…" He said gently. Apparently she noticed the change in his voice. She immediately stiffened.

"It's nothing. I was just being stupid. That's all."

Loke rolled his eyes, though it killed him to act so nonchalantly about this. In fact, he was practically trembling with rage. Whoever had made her cry was going to pay. He couldn't let her see that though. Right now he had to be calm and level headed. Like the friend she expected him to be.

"It's not nothing and you know it. Spill."

She looked down at the cup of tea that she held in her hands. Even as they sat there, it seemed that the steam had stopped coming from the mug.

"I-I just…forget it. You probably don't want to know anyways."

He sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Lucy," he put his hand on top of hers and silently marveled at how much bigger his hand was than hers. "Please tell me. I very much wish to know."

She still seemed hesitant. He took this as an opportunity to continue speaking.

"Look, I don't know what happened to make you so upset, but you proved to me a long time ago that you believed your spirits to be your friends, so as one friend to another, do you think you can tell me what's wrong?"

She looked up at him, chocolate brown eyes wide. It hurt to not be able to comfortingly wrap his arms around her. She would never let him.

She looked down and away. He thought she wasn't going to speak until he saw her suck in a trembling breath.

"It's Natsu. I just…I loved him, but he didn't love me, and now he's going to marry Lisanna." She stopped and waved her arms around the room, "Don't get me wrong, I love Lisanna as well, and I never told Natsu how I feel. He couldn't have known what he was doing to me."

At this point, Loke was trembling with rage and pain. Rage for what Natsu had done to Lucy, pain for how Lucy felt about Natsu.

It wasn't like he hadn't thought this might happen. Even when Natsu first brought Lucy to the guild, everyone was talking about how she was the first girl Natsu had been interested in since Lisanna. Back then, it had irked him a bit that everyone immediately compared the two girls. He hadn't known why, but it made sense now that he thought back on it. She was a Celestial mage, and he was a spirit. It was pure instinct that drove him to protect her at first.

But as time wore on, everyone in the guild just expected it to be a matter of time before the two of them got together.

He didn't know why this had bothered him so much.

Now he did.

But when he glanced back to Lucy, none of that mattered anymore. She was trembling with unshed tears again. That was the thing about crying. It was a vicious cycle. The more you cried, the worse you felt. The worse you felt, the more you wanted to cry.

Watching Lucy tremble like that, Loke suddenly didn't care if people who were just friends hugged or not. He stood, and walked around the table and pulled her up into his arms before she could protest.

She was apparently surprised. So much so that she momentarily stopped shaking. Her arms fell limply to her sides as his own held her to him. She seemed to be in too much shock to do anything else.

"L-Loke…" she said quietly. It made him smile to hear her say his name.

He bent down a little bit so that he could whisper directly into her ear.

"Go ahead and cry Lucy."

That was apparently all the incentive she needed. Almost instantly she started clinging to him. Her face buried itself in his shoulder, and he could feel her hot tears soaking through his suit.

"That's it. Just let it out. I promise that I will stay here until you can hold yourself together. Longer, if you'll let me."

She sobbed harder at that. Loke just held on tighter.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that. Clinging to each other in her kitchen. At some point, Loke realized that he was crying as well. He didn't bother to wipe his eyes though. They had already stained Lucy's shirt. She wouldn't know why, and would undoubtedly ask about it later, but she didn't need to know just yet. He knew why though. Lucy loved someone else. She didn't love him. It would take time for her to recover from this whole ordeal, and she would never be exactly the way she had been before. The person lucky enough to be able to pick up the pieces in her life would end up being the one that earned Lucy's love in the future. Loke couldn't be there all the time. Someone else would help her through that transition, and he would lose her forever.

Lucy had so much to give. It seemed like that was all she ever did. She gave everything to everyone, never expecting anything in return.

Was that why he loved her?

He doubted that he would ever find out.

After a while, he noticed that she had stopped sobbing and that he too, had finished crying. Lucy just stood there, fists balled against his chest with his chin resting on her head. It surprised Loke that she would allow him to hold her like this.

"You know it's funny." She said after a few long moments. Her voice was raw and cracked from the sobbing. "Even though I felt like I was falling apart when I found out, somewhere inside me, I was a bit relieved."

A thought occurred to Loke.

And then a thrill of emotion.

And then the overwhelming urge to kiss Lucy.

And all of this happened before he could squash the flicker of hope that roared inside him.

"Lucy," He started, unsure of how she would react to his question. "Is it possible that you felt that way because you love someone else too?"

She stiffened in his arms and he almost regretted asking, but it had to be said. She may as well get all of her baggage out of the way in one fell swoop. She didn't have to live the rest of her life wondering.

"I don't know." She answered, "Maybe."

She wasn't falling apart thinking about this. That was good. It meant she was healing.

"Lucy…" he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell everyone. He wanted Lucy to be off-limits, and he wanted every male who laid eyes on her to know it. But most of all, he wanted her to know what she meant to him. He wanted her to know that, and love him in return. But he couldn't do that right now. Not when she had only just begun to heal. Instead, he settled for another question that had been bothering him. "Why did you call me?"

She didn't really react. "I didn't. I thought you came on your own."

He shook his head, though she couldn't see that. "No, you called me," He insisted, "Though I would have come had I known what had happened."

He thought he could hear the smile in her voice when she answered, "I know that."

Warmth seemed to fill his body. He held her, happy to be in her proximity. Now that he wasn't so concerned for her mental state (she seemed to have calmed herself quite a bit), he was starting to become more aware of the fact that she was in his arms, and that she had stayed there for quite some time.

She was at the very least comfortable with him. That was something.

"How does it feel when you're called from the spirit world?" She asked suddenly.

He was a bit surprised by the question. She was still resting comfortably in his arms though, and showed no signs of wanting to move away, so he supposed she was just trying to distract herself.

"It depends on who is calling me," He answered, "When Karen called me, It was almost like being pulled into the world with a noose tied around my neck." She looked up at him wide eyed. He sighed internally. She was worried that he felt that way when she called him. Loke smiled down at her, "And when you call me, it's like a warm breeze is carrying me down here. It feels like sunlight," He added, remembering his previous comparison. She smiled at this and put her head back on his chest.

"And today, when you called me, I could sense your pain."

She looked back at him and met his gaze for a few seconds before turning away.

"I'm sure I didn't call you though," She whispered, "Look, your key is still on my ring." She opened the little flap on her belt to prove it, and sure enough, His key was there, proudly sitting at the front of the line of her many spirit keys.

"Maybe it was instinctive," he suggested, "Magic often reacts on its own in times of distress."

Lucy's eyebrows puckered in confusion, "But why would my magic call you…" Her eyes widened in realization and she seemed to notice how close they were for the first time. However, she didn't pull away, so Loke didn't release her. He certainly didn't mind.

"I've no idea."

They stood there without speaking again for a long time. It was only when he realized that Lucy was completely limp in his arms that he suddenly understood that they had been standing there for hours and that Lucy had fallen asleep.

He sighed down at her. She must have been completely spent. Both emotionally and physically. Gently, and very carefully so as not to wake her, he gathered her up in his arms bridal style and walked to her bedroom, where he set her down on the bed and tucked her in. It wasn't until he tried to pull away from her that he realized he couldn't. Her little fist had balled itself around his jacket lapel and shirt collar, and she didn't seem to be willing to let go anytime soon. Loke tried to gently unclasp her fingers from his jacket, so as not to wake her up, but the girl was deceptively strong. He refused to leave her alone, for when she woke up, he wanted to be there with her. Actually, he had intended to sleep on the floor, several feet away from her bed, so as not to intrude on her space, however that obviously wasn't going to work today. He could always pop back to the spirit world and come back immediately, but he wasn't positive he could get back so soon. He had already been in the human world for several hours, which, though taxing, was nothing compared to the magical energy needed to go back and forth between the worlds without the help of a mage. Not to mention the fact that if he went back, he was sure to be interrogated by all of Lucy's other spirits, who were no doubt worried at this point about their master. Especially Aquarius and Virgo. Those two were probably the most devoted spirits that Lucy possessed, except for him of course. It always made him laugh when he realized that Lucy thought Aquarius hated her. She didn't know how wrong she was about that. But all that this meant was that he couldn't use the spirit world as an escape route.

In other words, if he was going to stay with her, he was going to have to sleep in the same bed as her.

Right next to her.

All night long.

He gulped at that.

And then a strange sense of giddiness slid over him. He was okay with this. They would just sleep on opposite sides of the bed. There was no problem with that. That's what friends would do after all. He was sure she would do the same for him. If the situation were reversed, he wondered what emotions she would be feeling right now.

He gently moved Lucy to the other side of the bed and climbed in. She was still holding his clothes in a death grip, and it seemed unlikely to him that she would ever let go.

Almost immediately after the blanket had settled over them, Lucy moved back over to his side of the bed and settled her head on his chest, apparently drawn to his body's warmth. It gladdened him that she so appreciated it, however, he was pretty sure that Lucy would not be pleased to find herself like this in the morning. No matter. He would not violate her any more than what was occurring now. His arm was lazily circling her waist, hand resting on her hip. Her head and chest lay sprawled across his body, making him blush slightly when he realized that _all_ of her ample cleavage was sitting on him, with just a few layers of fabric separating their bodies.

Oh well. Even if he only got this one night, he would remember it for the rest of his life. The moonlight hit her face perfectly, leaving it in that hauntingly beautiful manner which she had shown in that fight against Angel. When he had had to fight Aries, and when he had failed to protect Lucy. Hibiki had shown her a way to win, and she had done so without the help of her spirits. Even in his severely wounded state, he had insisted on watching the conclusion of the battle. Actually, he had tried to go back to the human world several times using his own magic power, but he just didn't have enough to make the trip. Finally, Virgo strapped him down and made him watch through the lens**. Lucy begged for Aries's key, and for Angel to release the contract, and when she said it was for _his_ sake, the sake of her spirit, his heart nearly broke. He fought against the chains that Virgo had used to strap him down, but to no avail. She was too strong at this point, and he was too weak to protect her. And then it had happened. Hibiki had taught her the 88 stars of Heaven spell, and she had destroyed Angel. At that time, it was like watching the spirit world curve around a single point, and that point was Lucy. When she used that spell, she used the power of the entire spirit world.

She had been so beautiful. So terrifyingly beautiful.

And then she snapped out of her trance and had no idea what was going on.

He had sighed, glad she was safe.

Of course, Lucy was always beautiful, though she did her best to water down her looks. In fact, she was just as devastatingly beautiful as Erza, not just 'cute' like she always claimed to be. It was moments like this, when the light hit her just right, which she couldn't hide it any longer, and her beauty took all the males in the vicinity's breath away. It had happened a few times in his guild days, even though he had tried his very best to avoid her at all costs. How he regretted that now.

What he wouldn't give to be close to her like this all the time. How he wished he had asked her to be on his team, before Natsu had. How he wished he hadn't spent all of those pointless hours terrified of her.

It couldn't be helped now. All he had left were moments like this one, where he could watch her peaceful face and smile, knowing she was safe.

**a/n Okay, so this is by far my favorite Fairy Tail Pairing, and this story sort of just popped into my head. It was originally going to be a one shot but now I think it's going to be better if it's formatted as a chapter story. It'll be my first. The begining is a bit choppy b/c I really wasn't sure how the story would turn out, but by the time I got the plot going a bit, it was too late to change it. Anyways, R and R please!.**

_****lens. It's just something I came up with to make the little flashback thingy work. I pictured it like something that could be used by spirits to keep watch over their masters while they were in the spirit world. **_


	2. Chapter 2

A slight popping noise and a familiar magical presence woke Loke. Instinctively, his arm tightened around Lucy, even before he opened his eyes.

When the lids did slide back from the green orbs, he was not surprised to see a fellow spirit of Lucy's standing in the room.

Well, he didn't know if you could actually call it standing. It was more like the fellow spirit was floating in mid-air with his legs crossed and hovering in the same place for extended periods of time.

"Hello, Lion." Crux said. Loke nodded in his direction. He was the spirit most equipped to handle battle, and as such, he was already wide awake. He noticed that the collar of his jacket and shirt were still clutched mercilessly in Lucy's fist. He almost smiled at that. However, when he was in the presence another spirit, he could not be Lucy's Loke. He needed to become Leo.

"Is our mistress alright?" He asked. Loke noted that the concern in the older spirit's voice was genuine. So even old Crux loved being Lucy's spirit.

"Yes. She suffered some heartbreak."

Crux nodded, "Ah…That explains it."

Spirits had a special ability that most celestial mages did not know about. If the bond was strong enough, the spirits could feel their mage's pain, as if it was their own. It helped to motivate them when it came down to the wire, and sheer willpower was all that was keeping their masters alive.

Every single one of Lucy's spirits had this power. It was something entirely unheard of in the spirit world. It had never happened that a mage had cared enough about their spirits to develop such a bond with every single one of them.

Was that why he loved her?

…Probably not.

"What are you doing Leo?"

Loke sighed. He had known this was coming from the moment that Crux had appeared.

"Comforting the master."

Crux snorted, "More like warming the master's bed."

Now, Loke had a very high respect for this old spirit. He was knowledgeable, and wise and had given him very much needed advice more than once. However, with that last comment, he crossed the line.

"Don't worry, we're both fully clothed. Leave now." Loke contained his anger. There was only the slightest hint of a threat on the edge of his voice.

Crux sighed, "You know the rules, Leo."

Loke stiffened. "The law actually encourages it."

Crux sighed, "Leo, if you go through with this, it means you must stay loyal to her for the remainder of her life. You can never waiver in this. Not once."

He glared at the old cross. It was true. If he made his feelings known to Lucy, and those feelings were reciprocated, it meant that he was obligated, by law, to stay with her for the remainder of her life, or until she chose to break it off. Whichever came sooner. Those ties strengthened a spirit and mage's connection, thus making them a stronger team. He hadn't been lying in the fight against Bickslow. His love for her was what made him strong.

However, if those ties were severed, either by time or by the key holder, it meant that the bonds between the spirit and mage were broken, and that could potentially get the mage killed. Every law that the spirit world set in place seemed to be about protecting the mages that wielded their keys.

He would never forgive himself if his love for her got her killed.

If he could just love her from afar, maybe he could avoid that result.

He wasn't worried about being loyal to Lucy. Everything about her drew him towards her. Not just her body, not just her personality, but it was in the way she walked, the way she interacted with people. How she could never bring herself to take from people, but could only give herself away in bits and pieces. Loke briefly wondered how many times she had cut up her heart by now. She gave her love away like it was extra change. How long could she keep that up before she ran out?

But that wasn't why he loved her. He was pretty sure of that.

No it wasn't her youth that pulled Loke towards her like a magnet. It was the vibrant feeling of her life force, and maybe the comforting aura she gave to everyone around her. Even perfect strangers had noticed. Those boatmen might have just been ogling at her at first, but Loke realized a while ago that they truly cared about her now. They hardly spoke a word to her except when they were warning her away from the river. Advice which he wished Lucy would heed more often.

"I won't have any problems being loyal here. It's my specialty." It was true. Loyalty was a trademark of the lion spirit.

"I don't know about that Lion. You had a lot of time to get into bad habits here in the human world. Enough time to break eons of tradition."

Loke snorted. The old cross was referring to his time spent in exile to the human world and the reputation he had earned as a playboy during those three years.

Unfortunately, this snort roused Lucy a bit. She was still sprawled across his torso at the moment, so it wasn't surprising that she would wake at such a sudden movement from her makeshift pillow. Loke looked at her concernedly. He didn't want her to wake and remember the conversation he and Crux were having. Absentmindedly, he started stroking her hair, to which she responded with a content sigh and a settling of her body on his once again.

Another sigh from Crux brought Loke's attention back to the old spirit. In all honesty he had completely forgotten that he was there.

"I can see that this relationship is too far along for it to be deterred. But I warn you, Lion, if you aren't careful, this will end up badly."

"I can handle the consequences of my actions." Loke said resolutely. He had taken advice from the old spirit many times before, but he really hadn't expected to ever receive relationship advice.

Crux sighed, "Then I hope you can stand by your word as well as our master."

And with that, the old spirit popped out of this existence and into the spirit world. Most likely he would report everything that he'd seen to Lucy's other contracted spirits. And most likely they would all have a panic attack and take the matter to the spirit king.

Great. Just great.

Now before he knew it there was going to be a thousand foot giant in shining armor ripping the top of Lucy's house off and dragging Loke back to the spirit world.

Yeah, he really didn't need that tonight.

He sighed, deep and full, and apparently enough to rouse Lucy again, though she still did not wake.

The hand that was not wrapped around his collar clenched and unclenched as it rested on top of his chest. She seemed to be on edge. He started stroking her hair again.

"Mmm…Loke…" she muttered in her sleep and a small smile stretched her lips as her hand relaxed down to his chest, the other still holding his collar.

He was so surprised that he actually stopped breathing for a moment, and then a smile split his face. A smile so brilliant that it would have outshone any star in the entire galaxy.

He loved her, and maybe, somewhere deep inside her, she loved him too.

After all, hadn't she been the one to say that some part of her had been relieved that Natsu was off limits now? Could that be because that part of her heart was reserved for someone else?

And maybe, just maybe, that someone else was him.

Maybe this would all work out after all.

And for that reason, he fell asleep with a stupid grin on his face, happy beyond belief, his hopes soaring.

He didn't really want to squash them, even though the rational side of him told him that he should.

When he woke the next morning it was no surprise that there was some screaming.

What else did he expect? Lucy hadn't exactly consented to allowing him in her bed for the night. It had just been the circumstance that had let him be so close to her for so long. He was saturated in her scent by now. It was like wildflowers.

When he opened his eyes he found Lucy staring at him wide eyed. Not surprising. However, their faces were only inches apart at that point and that was a bit disconcerting.

"What are you doing in my bed Loke?" She asked finally, he shrugged as best he could from under her.

"You wouldn't let go of my collar last night and I wasn't about to leave you, and since I couldn't make the trip between the spirit and human world twice, I was stuck in this world with you gripping my shirt like your life depended on it."

She growled when she realized that she was still holding on to his shirt. He had to suppress the urge to laugh.

"I still don't get how you ended up in my bed, or why you didn't just leave me alone for the night."

This sobered him. "Did you want me to leave?"

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She blushed a deep shade of red and looked away.

"No, I suppose not." She finally whispered. It was then that he realized that she was still splayed out across his chest and that his arm was still around her waist. The thought made him blush and he immediately released her. She seemed to realize what close proximity they were in and she too moved away. It left him with a shocking absence of warmth that really was uncomfortable to loose.

"Okay, but how did we end up like that?" She questioned. She had a valid point.

He could have told her the blunt truth, that she had crawled on top of him almost immediately in her sleep, but he knew that would embarrass her. Instead he chose a small white lie.

"I don't know. We must have done that in our sleep." Well it was half true.

Her blush turned deeper. He found it endearing.

"Loke, you've been here the whole night?" She asked. He nodded.

Immediately she was a flurry of motion. Her hands went to his face, his neck, two fingers pried open his eyelids, she laid her wrist on his forehead as if checking for a temperature.

"Are you alright? I don't want you getting sick on my account, if you're at all tired, please go back!"

When Loke finally realized that she was trying to make sure he was okay after having spent one night in the human world, he burst out laughing. She stopped moving long enough to shoot him one of the scariest looks he had ever seen in his life and watched her lower lip jut out in a slight pout.

"Shut up you baka! I was worried about you!" She said angrily. At least she seemed more normal today instead of the mopey, sad person she had been the day before. Loke wasn't by any means ready to let her go off by herself again though. What could he say? He was a lion. Overprotectiveness kind of came with the territory.

"I'm sorry. You're right, I shouldn't laugh. But may I remind you that I'm actually here thanks to _your_ magic power not mine. I didn't force the gate open myself. If anyone is going to be tired here, it's going to be you."

This brought her up short. "To be honest I don't even feel the least bit tired. Are you sure you came here with my power?"

He nodded, "Yes, you're just becoming more powerful, so things that would have been impossible in the past are now easy. You could probably keep me here about a month without killing me."

She stared at him wide eyed, obviously shocked. He had to admit, he was a little surprised too. When she first arrived in the guild, he hadn't believed her capable of holding a spirit in this world for an hour, let alone an entire month. Especially not one as powerful as he.

That was Lucy, constantly surprising you.

It was around this time that he realized that they were both still lying in bed, and Lucy, being propped up on her elbows next to him, probably didn't realize that she was revealing quite that much cleavage. To prevent himself from staring, he smiled and got up out of the bed and stretched. He heard Lucy sigh behind him.

"Something wrong?" He asked, suddenly concerned.

She shook her head smiling. "No, nothing at all, it's just that I'm glad we're both fully clothed is all."

He let out a small snort, "Please, I wouldn't take advantage of you like that."

She rolled her eyes. "I would think not."

He grinned at her and started walking towards the kitchen. "Hey have you got any eggs?"

She looked a little surprised, "Yes, they're in the fridge."

He nodded, "Good, scrambled or fried?"

"Scrambled please," she said and scrambled out of bed before disappearing into her closet. He smiled after her retreating form. She didn't seem upset at all today. He knew that it was probably just a front of course, and that inside she was most likely still very raw, but the fact that she had the strength to keep up a good façade in front of someone whom she had already expressed her feelings to, was a testimony to the healing that had already taken place. He was glad to have been a part of it.

When the eggs were finished, she came out wearing a tank-top and mini-skirt, with her hair in its' usual half pony tail set off to the side. In his opinion, she had never looked more beautiful.

After he had served the eggs to her, she grinned at him, "I never knew you could cook."

He shrugged, "I spent three years in this human world. After the first six months I was pretty sick of cereal."

She laughed and speared another bite onto her fork.

"So what's on the agenda today?" He asked. He couldn't help but admire how natural this routine felt. Cooking for her, asking about her day…just being involved in her life felt so right.

She looked a little surprised, "What do you mean?"

"Well, what are we going to do today?"

She stopped eating, "Wait, you're staying here?"

He nodded solemnly, "Of course."

"What? Why? Isn't it uncomfortable to be here for you?"

He shook his head, "Not at all. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I left you alone all day?"

Lucy looked mutinous. He could have sworn that her hand twitched toward her key pouch.

"If you force a gate closure, I'll just come back with my own magic."

She grumbled a bit but let it slide. "Well, I was thinking of going to the guild to get a job. Have to pay rent you know… If Erza, Gray and, and Natsu haven't already picked a job I'll find one I can do on my own."

Loke's earlier abated rage woke again. He had noticed Lucy's hesitation to say Natsu's name.

That man had no right to have this kind of control over Lucy. He had pledged his love to another and had broken her heart. And Lucy…Lucy was too kind hearted for her own good. She was actually _happy_ for them. She had had her heart trampled on, and yet there was still enough left to let her feel glad for her friends.

No one deserved her. Least of all him.

He hadn't realized that he had been bending the fork in his hand until he heard Lucy screaming something about buying her a new set of silverware if he broke her own.

He apologized and set the fork down.

"Well, are you ready to go?"

She nodded, "Just let me grab my jacket."

Lucy ran off into the bedroom. When she came back, she was neatly zipping up a white jacket that reached about halfway down her waist. He was slightly disappointed that it covered her up so much, and then felt extremely guilty about that sentiment. Hadn't he just shared the same bed with this woman all night? He had no right to feel disappointed in her modesty. He was lucky she wasn't pressing charges.

That raised a peculiar question. Could you press charges on your own contracts? He would have to ask Crux about that one.

As they approached the guild, Lucy suddenly stopped, "What are we going to tell them?"

He looked at her blankly, "About what?"

She looked at him as if it should be obvious. "You! It's not exactly normal for you to be at the guild anymore you know. At least, not normal so long as the guild isn't under attack, that is." A look of mild concern crossed Lucy's face. "The guild hasn't been attacked recently. We're bound to have another disaster of some kind soon though, so who knows, maybe the guild will really be attacked today." She shrugged, "Oh well, I'm sure it'll be fine." She said, and then gestured to him again, "But really, what are we going to do about you?"

He shrugged, "Tell them the truth?"

She paled at this, "Wh-What?"

"The truth. I'm here to watch over you because I got a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen and I'm not leaving."

Her eyes widened, "You have a feeling that something bad is going to happen?"

He shrugged, "Not really, it's just a hunch." In truth, the only bad thing that he felt might happen were Lucy's feelings for Natsu affecting how she would be able to work with him. If that happened, he didn't want to have to waste time transcending the gates between their worlds. He wanted to be here with her.

"Care to elaborate?" She asked, clearly annoyed.

"Not particularly."

She made a disgruntled sound in the back of her throat and stomped off toward the guild hall. Loke followed on her heels.

As soon as he entered the guild hall it was quiet. And then there was an explosion of sound.

"Loke! Good to see you buddy, it's been a while!" This was Wakaba. Loke nodded in his direction and gave a half smile. All the attention was a little nerve grading.

As everyone gathered around him, apparently interested in the new development, Lucy's feared question kept on popping up.

"So what are you doing here Loke, or Leo, whoever you are." Asked Cana. He smiled and explained to them what he had told Lucy just a few seconds earlier.

"Ah, so the guild isn't being attacked or anything. That's good, that's good." This was the master. Loke nodded gratefully in his direction.

As the mob thinned, moving on to more interesting things, the last three members of Fairy Tail came forward.

"Leo." Erza acknowledged. He really didn't care what people called him, but it was still strange to hear his real name from his fellow guild members.

"Hi Loke." Gray said with a wave as he walked by. Juvia was clinging to his arm and talking animatedly. Loke wondered sometimes how Gray put up with it.

"Hey, it's Loke!" Natsu said happily. The stupid oaf. This was probably the only member of Fairy Tail that he didn't want to see. The man didn't even know what he had done to Lucy. "Fight me!" He added, almost as an afterthought.

Though Loke very much wanted to take Natsu up on that, he knew that Lucy wouldn't approve, and besides, he didn't want to destroy the guild hall. He had no need to make Makarov angry with him. After lying to the master for three years, he was lucky the man had even let him enter, let alone stay, at the guild hall.

"Another time, Natsu." Yes, another time indeed. When Lucy, the rest of the guild and no buildings of importance were around…

He was snapped out of his fantasy of beating Natsu to a bloody pulp by a question from Erza.

"So will you be joining us on the next job then?" The scarlet haired mage asked.

He nodded. "Of course."

Natsu threw a bit of a fit, "WHAT? Wait, I can't split the pay more than five ways, I'm saving for a ring!"

He felt rather than saw Lucy stiffen at that. He suspected Erza did too, as she hit him on the back of the head.

"Baka. We aren't going to spurn Loke's help. He will be a great asset to the team. Try to show a little respect. With him helping us we can get five jobs done in the time it would normally take to do one."

Loke nodded his appreciation to Erza, who nodded in return.

Gray had returned by now, this time Juvia-less.

"So Loke's coming with us? That's cool." Loke was a bit surprised by Gray's attitude in this. They had never been particularly close, and Loke had gotten the feeling that Gray didn't like him very much.

"Alright so now that that's settled, what's the job?" He asked, trying to move the conversation along.

"We're taking out a dark guild." Erza replied. Loke arched an eyebrow.

Lucy, on the other hand, paled slightly "What?"

Erza shook her head, "Don't worry, it's not a particularly tough dark guild. We've had worse. The payment is good though, so we should all get a decent pay off."

Lucy nodded, determination set in her eyes. Loke loved that look in her. Just like he loved everything about her.

He didn't let his thoughts get carried away. They had a train to catch.

**a/n Okay, I apologize, this chapter was rather boring. Believe me it was also a little boring to write, but I just came up with a new plot twist that allows for a sequel so if you all want one, or if I just feel like writing it, I can write a sequel to this story. However, I still have a few chapters to go with this so don't go deciding yet. Anyways R and R.**

**P.S. Baka means idiot**


	3. Chapter 3

Loke was careful to maneuver himself between Lucy and Natsu on the train without letting either one know that it was intentional. However Erza noticed, he was sure.

That Erza. She was freakishly smart.

And that wasn't the greatest thing for this mission of his.

Oh well. It wasn't like Erza would mind. It seemed as though she knew about Lucy's feelings, probably through means of observation, as Erza just didn't seem approachable about those kinds of things.

Loke watched as Lucy seated herself next to the window and stared blankly out of it. She didn't realize that anyone was paying attention to her, as Erza and he were. Gray seemed totally and blissfully unaware to this whole thing, which surprised Loke. Gray wasn't stupid, and he wasn't completely oblivious to everyone around him like Natsu was.

Speak of the devil, Natsu was currently moaning over his stomach. Loke took a sadistic pleasure in his pain. The bastard deserved it after what he'd done to Lucy. He'd have to remember to throw him on some kind of transportation whenever he started talking about Lisanna.

When they got there, it was about time for the sun to set. Their employer had told them to meet him about ten miles outside of the little train station, so there was no way for them to get there before nightfall. There was a little inn near the train station, but that meant they had to wake up early to walk the ten miles to meet the employer. Instead, they chose to walk as far as they could before nightfall. Seeing as they were wizards, they could get about halfway there before they lost the light and were forced to make camp.

Loke didn't speak often. Instead, he chose to observe. He knew this group well, though they didn't know it. Lucy had quite the following in the spirit world. When he had been accepted back into the spirit world, he had received a pleasant bit of information. With the intent to keep her safe, every single one of Lucy's spirits had designated shifts to watch her and make sure that nothing happened. They all wanted to protect her to the best of their abilities. Loke had been no exception. He had taken up a shift and started learning incredible things about her life.

For instance, Lucy often had minor spaz attacks. Most of the time they were directed at either Happy, Natsu and Gray. However, he also noticed that these lapses in control most often occurred when those people were commenting on her personal life.

But the other thing he had witnessed in watching her was her utter devotion to her friends, and the rest of her team's care for her. It always made Loke feel better knowing that her friends were watching over her. Even if one of those friends was Natsu.

So that night, as they gathered around the fire, Loke squeezing himself between Natsu and Lucy again (Lucy noticed this time, but instead of being annoyed by it, she actually looked grateful. Apparently she didn't want to think about Natsu any more than she had to), he already knew their personalities, and he actually knew many of their inside jokes and such.

However, there were times when he absolutely refused to let anyone watch. Times when Lucy was in the bathroom, or changing. Moments like that were where he drew the line. He hated how much they invaded her privacy anyways, and the only reason he allowed it was because the process had saved her life several times. The fight with Bickslow was just one of them. To intrude on her privacy any more than was necessary to keep her safe…well that just wouldn't be tolerated. Before he had made a contract with Lucy, Virgo had been the moderator on this particular subject. Before Virgo, Aquarius. Taurus was a pervert, and he was the only one who had ever really infracted on Lucy's privacy. But in his own way, Taurus cared just as much about Lucy as the rest of them.

But when Loke had caught Taurus taking 'sneak peeks', he had beat the guy so hard that he hadn't been able to leave the hospital for a week. After that, Taurus hadn't been allowed to watch Lucy without another spirit nearby. Preferably a violent one, in Loke's opinion.

However, Lucy had no idea all of this went on, and it would be interesting to see how the group's dynamic changed when a new member was added, so he acted as if he were a bit uncomfortable and was trying to figure out the group, like any intruder would had they suddenly been placed with Fairy Tail's strongest team. These people were close. Anybody could see that. But oddly enough, they didn't seem to mind having Loke there. They just continued to talk away.

Eventually, one by one, people fell asleep until only Erza and Loke were left awake. They didn't say anything most of the time. Neither one was particularly talkative.

"Everyone is asleep." Erza said. Loke nodded in response, wondering where Erza was going with this. She was not one to make idle chit-chat. She was comfortable in silence. "So tell me what you're really doing here."

Loke's eyebrows shot up in a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Erza sighed, "Look, they're all dead to the world so they can't hear you. Why are you on this mission with us?"

Loke stared at the flames for a moment, "It's just as I said. I'm here to protect Lucy."

"Leo." The tone of her voice caught his attention, "I know that you spirits watch Lucy from your world." He gaped at this, and was about to speak but Erza put up a hand. "Don't, it wasn't that difficult to figure out. How else would her spirits, especially you, always know when she was in danger? And besides, I'm actually quite grateful for it. The fact that she practically has an entire army watching over her gives me room to fight without having to worry about her. However, it raises the question, if you can watch over Lucy from your world and waste less power from the both of you, why would you do it from the human world? So answer me Loke. Why?"

The spirit looked at the flames again. "Like I said, I'm here to protect her." Erza did not look satisfied. "From enemies as well as friends."

Erza looked surprised at this, "So not from a physical threat then."

Loke shook his head, "No, not from a physical threat."

Erza didn't say anything for a moment. "You know how Lucy feels about Natsu." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"You know that Natsu didn't intend to hurt her." Again, not a question.

"Yes."

Erza hesitated before saying anything more. This was such an un-Erza-like thing to do that Loke looked up at her and met her gaze.

"You're in love with Lucy." She finally said.

He looked up at the sky. Funny, he hadn't realized it was this time of year yet. His constellation could be seen directly overhead.

"Yes." He finally answered.

Erza nodded, like she had just had her suspicions confirmed, "Then I thank you for not putting Natsu in the hospital."

He quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The red-headed mage gave him a small smile, "This morning when Natsu was complaining about splitting the pay five ways, I could see your murderous intent. It's a good thing Natsu is so unobservant."

"Yeah, well, I might still kill him. You never know."

Erza stopped smiling. "Lucy wouldn't want you to do that."

Loke was officially done with this conversation. He wanted to go to sleep. "What do you think stopped me in the first place?" He asked, and then crawled over to his previously laid out sleeping bag.

"Does she know how you feel?" Finally, a real question.

"No." He answered.

"Just remember one thing." Erza said quietly. Loke stopped to look at her.

"If you ever, hurt Lucy the way Natsu did, I will kill you. I don't care if you're immortal, I will still destroy you. I will find a way."

Loke stopped moving for a second, not sure how to answer her, or if he even should. Finally, he sighed.

"You don't have to worry about that. I promised myself a long time ago to protect her. From enemies as well as friends." He saw Erza was still tense. For some reason, Loke felt as if he needed to appease her. "And that includes myself."

At this, Erza finally seemed to relax a little, apparently satisfied with the answer. "Nonetheless…" she added, but Loke knew she wasn't nearly as serious about killing him as before. "Well, if it happens." She said with what passed as a shrug when applied to Erza.

"Then I thank you." He said before rolling over in his sleeping bag. Effectively ending the conversation.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Erza didn't give any signs of having had a very private conversation with Loke the night before, and Loke followed her lead. No need to upset Lucy.<p>

When they received their orders for the job, they realized that all they really had to do was wipe out a bunch of low-level mages who had been terrorizing the little town that lay at the base of Mt. Zi. It was a simple enough task. Every single one of the five members of their team could have done it in very little time. Loke doubted that Lucy would have even needed to call a spirit.

No, the job itself was no difficulty at all. It was the train ride home that was the issue.

It started off as a train ride usually would. Loke had again managed to successfully navigate himself between Lucy and Natsu, and the spirit was silently enjoying the dragon slayer's discomfort. The problem occurred when Loke spotted something moving at high speeds directly into the window.

There was no doubt in his mind. This thing was dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs. The instinct of the lion told him so.

"Everybody get down!" He yelled. At the same time he saw Erza and Natsu readying themselves for action. Gray looked surprised, and Lucy hadn't even reacted yet.

There was no time. Whatever that thing was, it was headed straight for Lucy.

He grabbed her off of the seat and pulled her down to the ground with him as he pushed away from the window with all his might. As soon as they landed, he covered her body with his own. No one was going to touch this girl if he had anything to say about it.

Glass shattered above them. Large chunks of the sharp glass lacerated his back like the stings of a whip, but he didn't mind. Better him than Lucy.

When the glass stopped falling, Loke looked over his shoulder to see if the coast was clear.

It wasn't.

It most definitely wasn't

A large, black, flying, _spike _thing was about to impale itself in his back, and because it was long enough, through Lucy as well.

He rolled and pulled Lucy with him. The spike thing flew straight into the spot where they had just been, and with a small beeping noise, died.

Lucy, who at this point was laying on his chest (this was where he had pulled her to, hoping to avoid letting her be speared by that spike), was breathing hard, eyes wide.

"L-Loke…" She murmured in a horrified whisper. He must've looked horrible.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded vigorously, "I'm fine, what about you?"

He grinned at her, "I've had worse."

She gave him a weak smile in return.

"Well, should we see how the others are doing?" He asked. If he stayed like this too long, he would get those crazy hormonal urges that seemed only she could instigate in him. He really didn't need that right now.

She nodded her agreement and almost rolled off of him before he caught her.

Lucy stared at him, confused, "Be careful, there's glass."

She looked down and nodded, this time careful to use the cuff of her jacket to wipe away the glass as best she could before setting her hand down and pushing herself upward. It was an ingenious idea.

But for Loke, it was a little too late to be worried about getting a few more scrapes. He just got up clumsily before walking in front of Lucy to check on the others.

As he expected, everyone was alright. Erza had sliced at least four of the flying spikes to ribbons, the molten slack on the floor was probably Natsu's handiwork, and Gray was leaning coolly (no pun intended) against the wall of the train in front of a row of frozen spikes.

Everything seemed in order, which was why it was such a surprise when Loke heard a loud gasp from behind.

He turned around to find a horrified Lucy staring at him as if she had just seen a ghost.

"L-Loke…your back…"

His eyebrows puckered in confusion. What on earth was he talking about?

"Geez Loke, what did you do?" This was Natsu. Not Loke's favorite person right now. The dragon slayer was promptly ignored.

"You should let one of us tend to that." This was Erza. If she was commenting then he must really be a sight to see.

"Here let me." This was Lucy, and as she promptly sprung into action, the first thing she did was…

Take his shirt off.

"Lucy, w-what are you-"

And then he couldn't say much as his arms were pinned over his head by his shirt.

"I have to get the glass out of your back or else it'll become infected!" She practically screamed. She sounded close to hysterics. He wanted to tell her to calm down and that he was fine except for the fact that he felt ridiculous to be standing in public like this without a shirt on to cover up most of his torso. He wasn't all that modest, but still. This was embarrassing.

Not that he had anything to be hiding exactly. He had a pretty nice six pack if he did say so himself.

He could feel a slight tugging sensation and brief flashes of pain as Lucy pulled out the various particles of glass that had apparently embedded themselves in his back.

"Loke, there are some that are really deep so this might hurt. I'm sorry."

And sure enough, it hurt. A lot.

However, as Elfman would say, Loke was a man. Lucy was already worried enough as it was, she didn't need another reason to feel bad for pulling the glass out. He didn't utter a sound. The most he allowed was a few violent shudders that he couldn't really control. After a particularly bad one, he heard Lucy whimpering an apology. He wanted nothing more than to tell her that he was fine.

Eventually, she stopped pulling glass out and rubbed some kind of ointment onto his back before bandaging his entire torso. When she was finished, she pulled his shirt back down. He gratefully let his arms fall back to his sides. The whole procedure had taken about ten minutes and his shoulders were cramping.

"All done, but you should let Wendy take a look at you when we get back." Lucy said. She still looked pale and nervous.

"Really Lucy, I'm fine." He told her gently. She gave him a small, tired smile.

"I know, it's just…"

"Come on. We better help the others clean up this mess." He said, gesturing to the glass that still littered the floor. A few pieces seemed to be covered in blood, which is when he realized just how much glass Lucy had just pulled out of his back. He felt awful for her. That wasn't a pleasant job to begin with, and she had just had to do it for a friend. At least, he hoped she considered him a friend.

Erza was nowhere to be seen, which probably meant she was up front apologizing to the conductor. This would definitely take a large chunk out of their profits. The team from Fairy Tail was going to have to pay for all of this.

Loke internally shrugged. He had no need for human money anyways. They could pay off the damages with his share. Besides, he had planned on giving it all to Lucy as rent money. She was always worrying about that.

But the train was also completely out of commission. There was no way it could keep going, which meant that if the team wanted to get back to Fairy Tail any time soon, they would have to walk.

Natsu was thrilled about this.

Loke wanted to punch him for it.

As the passengers climbed out of the train, the five teammates started walking alongside the tracks in the direction of Fairy Tail. There wasn't really a discussion about it. All five of them were more than capable of surviving in the wilderness, and walking and camping out was a far better option than sitting around doing nothing until they could fix the train. They were _wizards_. They got bored easily.

They had walked (more like sprinted, watched Natsu and Gray tear down half the forest, then sprinted some more) about halfway to the guild when they decided to make camp. Once again, they found themselves sitting around a campfire. He was drawing something in the sand by their campfire when Lucy suggested the two of them go for a little walk.

"Doesn't that seem a bit repetitive after spending half the day walking?" He asked, though he was already getting up.

"That's the point silly. I've been so active today so I can't sit still."

"I ALWAYS feel that way." Natsu commented loudly.

Lucy visibly stiffened. Loke took this moment to intervene. "And that's why we need to calm you down a bit. Stay." He ordered when Natsu looked as if he was about to get up and join them.

"Ohhhh, the two of them want to be alone. They liiiiiiiiiiiike each other." Happy said with a mischievous grin.

"Shut it cat!" Lucy yelled, blushing furiously. Loke found that to be sweet.

They turned and left the campsite. As they ambled along, they chatted amiably. Lucy seemed alright, which actually worried him a bit. She was in pain. In deep, unimaginable pain. Just like he was, now that he knew Lucy loved Natsu. In other words, Lucy should be sad. She should be falling apart. That was what a normal person did when they were grieving. Otherwise, they dealt with the pain in unhealthy ways, like detaching themselves from emotion, or getting into things that they would later regret. He had to prevent that from happening.

"Lucy, are you alright?" He asked, cutting her off rather rudely. He should apologize. He hadn't been paying much attention to what she was saying.

The question caught her off guard. "What do you mean?"

Loke hated himself for bringing it up. Maybe the better option would be to just let her figure it out on her own.

But he had to do it. No matter where their relationship stood once Lucy was healed, he was going to make sure she was as whole as she could possibly be. It didn't matter if she ended up hating him for it. She was going to heal.

"People don't heal in just a matter of days, Lucy."

Her eyes filled with a flash of pain instantly. It pulled at his gut, and it made him feel sick to know that he had caused it.

She bowed her head and started to walk, but not in a fashion that indicated that she didn't want to be followed. This notion was strengthened when she began to speak.

"I know. It just…it hurts so much to think about it."

He nodded to her, an action that she probably couldn't see in the encroaching darkness of the forest. "But it will hurt worse if you don't do it now."

They didn't speak for a while. Instead they just kept on walking. Eventually, they reached a little river. Lucy stopped and knelt by the edge.

"It reminds me of that place where we fought Angel." She whispered. I sat down beside her. She put her hand in the water.

"I was so scared for you that day…" she trailed off, as if in remembrance.

"That's funny, I was worried about you. You do know I can't die right?"

She used her shoulder to push him a little. "Yes, smart ass, I do know that. It was just…" here she sighed, "well, I guess it was the fact that you were taking that blow for me. And the fact that you had to fight Aries…"

He unconsciously stiffened as he pictured Aries's body with a gaping hole blown out of it from whatever that low life spirit's name was. Of course, most of his attention had been fixed on Lucy, and whether or not the laser like beam had struck her. Aries could come back. Lucy couldn't.

"I watched the rest of your battle." He whispered. Lucy looked up, wide eyed.

"What? No, you should have been resting!"

He looked up at the moon and grinned. It was the only thing in the night sky that didn't remind him of anyone. The moon didn't have a spirit embodiment.

"Lucy, there was no way I was going to rest without knowing for certain that my master was safe. In fact," He hesitated for a moment, not sure he should tell her this bit. She would only worry. "I tried to get back to you a few times before Virgo strapped me down to a chair."

Lucy stared at him for a second as if he had grown a second head, and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Leo, the great lion spirit, leader of the zodiacs, being strapped down to a chair by the tiny maid Virgo."

After a moment's surprise, and then a split second hesitation (he wondered if it was okay to be laughing at Virgo right now, seeing as she was probably watching), he joined in too. Somehow, after several minutes of this, they found themselves flat on their backs, just watching the stars.

"You handled Angel very well." He commented.

This earned an unexpected sigh from Lucy, "Only with help from Hibiki. I'm still not entirely sure of what happened."

Loke turned to her, "Would you like me to tell you?"

Her head whipped around and her brown eyes bored into him earnestly. "Would you?"

He nodded, "As you know, Hibiki gave you access to a very powerful spell. One that you either don't remember or is buried somewhere inside your memory. It's called the 88 stars spell." He paused to see if this earned any reaction from Lucy. It did. Her eyes immediately darted to the constellations that they had been viewing just moments before. There were 88 constellations, so it made sense that a Celestial Wizard like herself would be able to use such a spell. "Anyways, Hibiki gave you this information not knowing whether or not it would work. He trusted you to figure that out.

"When you used the spell…well, I'm not sure I can even describe it. It was like you channeled the power of the Spirit world into a single blow. From my end, it looked like the worlds were…colliding almost. Like they were being forced together. It was like all the stars in the heavens, all the spirits in the world, were converging onto a single point. They were all moving towards _you_, Lucy." Her eyes widened, "I had never seen anything like it. No action in the human world is supposed to affect the spirit world save for the spirits entering and leaving due to summons. It just doesn't happen. And yet here you were, miss Lucy Heartfilia, going and breaking all of the rules." _Again_, he added mentally, but didn't say it aloud. It would take too much explaining. "Anyways, a golden beam of light shot from your chest and into Angel. She didn't even have time to react. You took her out in a single blow." He finished. Lucy looked too excited to even breathe.

"I wonder if I still remember it." She said after a while.

Loke shrugged, secretly hoping that she didn't. That much power, channeled through one tiny human girl…it couldn't be good for her. All magic had risks, and the more powerful the spell, the worse those risks got. The consequences of performing the 88 stars spell incorrectly…the possibilities were endless.

And besides, some part of him loved being her trump card. The person she could count on if she was really in a mess. He liked the excuse to see her, to save her. If she mastered the 88 stars spell, that role of his would be gone.

In other words, he liked her dependency on him.

And that was so rude on so many levels he didn't even know where to begin.

"We might never know," he answered finally.

She sighed and shrugged. "I guess not." She turned her head away from the stars and flashed a grin at him. "But that's okay, I know you'll always be there to save me."

Okay. He was feeling guilty now.

Very, very guilty.

The whole reason she had had to learn the 88 stars spell was because he had failed in his duty to protect her.

And yet…she still trusted him.

With her life.

And hadn't he just admitted to liking her dependency on him?

And if he loved her, shouldn't he be wanting what was best for her?

A part of him wanted to argue that. Being with him, being protected by him at the least, was what was best for her. Wasn't it?

The answer to that was very simple, and it came to his mind almost immediately.

No, it wasn't.

It was best for _him_.

If he truly wanted her to be safe, then she should learn to be able to act without the help of her sprits. She should be able to move independently. That was the whole point of the whip she wielded.

That was why parents let their children learn about the world, instead of shielding them from its horrors.

That was why friends helped each other become stronger, so that they might be able to protect themselves better one day.

And that was why, if he loved Lucy, then it was truly best to let her grow away from him.

Because if she was always standing in his shadow…

Then she would never see the sun.

"Of course I will." He answered. He was pleased when none of the emotion raging inside him leaked through to his voice.

And that was all he needed.

He still had a vow to protect. Hadn't he sworn, with the first few breaths after Lucy saved him, to always protect her? To always stop harm from coming her way? Wasn't that all that mattered? Yes he wanted Lucy to love and depend on him, but the more important thing was that he know he love her. That in itself was an oath. She didn't have to know that he loved her. She didn't have to understand that. Yes he wanted and desired it, but the privilege of loving Lucy was all he was truly guaranteed in this life, and his wants and needs vanished when he realized that he loved her. He had the privilege to love her, and she had no obligation to return those feelings. Still, in realizing those feelings, he had sworn to let her live her life in the manner that she chose. In this case, that meant fully understanding the true extent of her powers. But in the future, if that meant marrying another man, having that man's children and growing old with him…then that was what happened. Loke could fight it, but to do so would put her in a horrible situation in having to choose.

So he wouldnt make her.

Oh sure, he would fight for her, when she was healed enough to try at love again. But if she chose to walk down a different path, then her wants and needs became his own. He helped her with whatever goal she had in mind. He would not hold her back, but encourage and uplift her. Because that's what love was.

Love was selfless.

"Lucy?" He asked after a while.

"Yes?" she answered immediately.

"I'm sorry."

She sat up and looked at him, eyes searching, concern etching itself into the lines of her face, "For what?"

"I didn't protect you against Angel. I failed. I'm so sorry for that."

Suddenly, she was above him, her face just a few inches from his. "Loke, you didn't fail."

The lion dropped her gaze. "Yes, I did."

She grabbed his jaw and made him look her in the eye. "Look at me you baka." She said the words gently.

From the position they were currently in, anyone intruding on the scene would have thought they were about to kiss. The thought made Loke's pulse quicken.

"Now listen. I want you to hear this." She paused, "You swore to protect me, correct?" Loke nodded. "Then why are you so worried that you didn't? I'm still here, Angel is gone, and if you and Aries hadn't taken that blow, I wouldn't be here today. So please, tell me how, exactly, you failed?" He was about to open his mouth to protest more, but she cut him off, "Not to mention-" She stopped and blushed for a moment, but then a determined look entered her eye and she plowed on. "Before my memory goes blank… you were the last thing I thought of. I remembered you, with a hole blown out of your side, and how much devotion it took from you to do that for your master. If you had that much determination to save me, then I had no right to back out like I wanted to. That spell was scary… anyways, the point is, if you hadn't 'failed', as you say, then the 88 stars spell wouldn't have worked. I would have died, and you, and all of my other spirits, would be in Angel's hands right now. You didn't fail, Loke."

He was surprised that she had thought of him in her last cognizant thoughts. Though now that he thought about it, it made a little sense. Hadn't she been begging Angel for Aries's key? Hadn't she said it was for his sake?

But more importantly…Lucy had forgiven him. Forgiven him for failing her, forgiven him for putting her in harm's way.

She had forgiven him.

Funny how incredible that felt.

It was like being given a clean slate.

In all his years…why was it that he only felt such a feeling now?

Was it because it was _Lucy's_ forgiveness?

She was the only one he had ever loved this completely. This…selflessly.

Maybe that was why.

He loved her. He loved her and he didn't expect anything in return. He wanted it, craved it, heck he needed it, but he didn't expect it. So now when she gave him clemency…

It was all the sweeter.

He wanted to kiss her. He very much wanted to do that, and seeing as their faces were only a few inches apart, that task wouldn't be too difficult. He didn't think she would refuse. Be surprised, yes, unsure, yes, but she wouldn't refuse. But he was changed. He refused to act in a manner that served only his wants, his needs. No, if he were ever going to hold her like that, express his feelings to her like that, then she needed to want it too.

And right now, she was still pining over Natsu.

The forbidden fruit. He almost smirked at the analogy.

"Thank you, Lucy." He whispered. She smiled in return.

"Silly. No need to thank me. Haven't you already given me enough?"

* * *

><p><strong>an Okay so this chapter was initially kind of boring, because the only important part was...well, never mind. Thats too much info for now. But anyways, thanks to all who've been leaving comments, all were greatly appreciated!**

**I'm thinking about maybe not posting anymore chapters though until I finish this story. For me, it just seems as if the plot kinks work themselves out better that way, so in the long run, the story will be better. I'm gonna leave two days for you guys to decide (cuz by then the next chapter should be done)-chapters as they're finished, or the whole story in a week?**

**Read and Review, like always.**

**and thanks once again!**


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, they made it back to the guild around noon. It had been an uneventful end to their trip. Nothing exploded. A small portion of the forest was burnt down, there was a new ice skating rink a few miles outside of Magnolia, and you could probably outfit an entire army with the weapons Erza left behind, but hey, this was all normal for them.

As they approached the guild, Loke felt his senses start to pick up on danger. Immediately he stepped in front of Lucy. It was a better defensive position. Erza noticed the change. Lucy was too distracted by breaking up the fight between Natsu and Gray.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I don't know." And he didn't. He just felt as if he were being watched. The feeling left his stomach rolling. It wasn't a friend.

He looked at Lucy, to see if she had noticed anything strange. Ever since that link had been formed between them**, Loke wasn't sure of which feelings he could call his own and which were Lucy's. They both felt the same. If this feeling of being watched was Lucy's, then this was an entirely different ball game.

Lucy looked annoyed, frustrated and exhausted. However she didn't look nervous, wary or suspicious, like she would have had she noticed someone watching her. This feeling was not hers.

At this, Loke breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever was watching wasn't targeting Lucy. This was a good thing.

"Lucy is safe?" Erza asked quietly. It was a little nerve wracking to know that the knight knew him so well.

He nodded. "I'm being watched."

She blinked at this and looked down at her feet. A less experienced warrior would have taken this as a lack of focus, but Loke could tell. Erza was letting her senses range out. She was trying to pinpoint whoever was watching them (well, _him_) without her target's knowledge. Also, by looking down, she minimized the amount of information coming from her eyes. Instead, Erza was letting her other senses take over, as they were more effective, especially when adding magic into the equation.

Soon, Erza looked up and then to Loke and, almost imperceptively, shook her head. Loke nodded in understanding. Erza wasn't able to find the culprit with just her senses. That meant that they were using magic to watch them, as Erza's senses were able to pick up anything within the range of sight. They were dealing with a wizard, which made their situation all the more complicated.

Loke could see the wheels in Erza's brain turning. She was probably thinking along the same lines that he was. In all probability, whoever was watching them was also responsible for the attack on the train.

"We need to get to the guild." He said. She nodded.

"Natsu! Gray!" She shouted. The two boys immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at her. "Stop this. We are going to the guild."

Gray and Natsu looked at each other, weighed the pros and cons of doing as Erza said, turned slightly green, and followed Erza. Lucy let out an exasperated sigh.

"Why didn't she do that before?" She muttered under her breath. Loke couldn't help but agree. The stupid fights between the other two male members of the team were annoying.

In no time, they were stepping across the threshold of the guild. Many greeted them, but Erza and Loke had a mission. They were going to inform Markarov of the events that had taken place on the train.

Lucy followed him. Apparently she had noticed that Loke wasn't resting, now that they were back, but headed toward the master. Natsu and Gray both stayed behind. That was alright. Three was more than enough to inform the master of what was going on.

Markarov was drinking when they found him. It wasn't much of a surprise. Erza spoke first.

"Master, we need to speak with you." She said. Loke noticed the slight reverence in her voice.

"Yes Yes, speak your mind," He slurred.

"We would have been here yesterday, but we were attacked on the train." She said.

Markarov sobered a little at this. "Really? By who?"

"Not a who, more like a what." Loke spoke this time. Markarov looked at him as if just realizing he was there.

"Loke." He said, an observation. "Or Leo. What was your name again?"

"Call me whichever, it's not the issue now," he said quickly, impatience getting the better of him. Whatever was happening was putting Lucy in danger, and he wasn't having that. "We were attacked by some flying…spike things." He finished lamely, not really sure how to describe them.

"Spike things eh? Well that's specific." Markarov said sarcastically.

Lucy spoke now, "They were black, and looked as if they were made of stone. The must have flown by magic, because they didn't have wings or propellers to help them fly. They were about this long," Lucy held her hands about two and a half feet apart, "and they were targeting something."

Loke's eyes widened and he looked down at Lucy, who looked at the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Erza do the same thing.

"What do you mean Lucy?" Erza asked, surprised. She was probably wondering how she could have missed something so important.

"When I looked at the wreckage, I noticed something." She said slowly. She quickly looked at Loke before she continued, as if she were afraid of how he would react. "They were all pointed at me and Loke."

Erza looked disturbed. Loke didn't know how to react. Lucy wasn't finished yet though. "The ones that Erza dealt with, they were all pointed in the same direction. So were the ones that Gray finished off. I couldn't tell with Natsu's but If they followed pattern, they were all pointed toward where Loke and I were, not to mention that the one that went after us actually changed directions in midair. They were targeting one of us, and something tells me that it was me they were going after."

Loke stiffened, "What makes you think that?" He asked. What she said made sense, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was probably true. Though that last bit was conjecture, the first spike that he had seen had been headed directly for Lucy.

"Well, you're a celestial spirit. You can't die, so there would be no point in trying to kill you. If you were dealt a fatal wound, you would just be sent back to the spirit world."

Oh. Well there was that reason.

"I asked Natsu if he could remember which direction the spikes had been headed in when he got them. He didn't remember exactly, but he felt as if they were pointed towards where we were."

Markarov stroked his chin. "Hmm…this is interesting indeed."

"And there's more." Erza put in. "Today, when we were about ten minutes away from the guild, Loke sensed someone watching us. I tried to find them, but he was outside my range. He must have been using magic to watch us."

A thought came to Loke "I protected Lucy when those spikes attacked us. It would make sense that I would be next on this wizard's hit list if they were trying to get to her."

Loke saw Lucy looking up at him wide eyed with fear. He wasn't sure if that fear was for herself or for him. He hoped it was for herself. He didn't want her to be worried about him.

"But why would they target Lucy?" Asked Erza. It was a question that Loke had been wondering about himself.

Lucy frowned, "I suppose it could be my father. He lost all of his fortunes, but maybe he owed someone a debt and now they're trying to get it back by threatening me."

Markarov shook his head. "No child, I believe this is a different problem. If it was a debt collector doing this, they would know that your father had lost all of his money."

Lucy still didn't look entirely convinced, but Loke saw a bit of tension in her shoulders disappear, so he supposed that was enough.

Markarov looked at Loke for a long time. So long that Loke began to get uncomfortable and shifted his weight. It was like he was studying him, like he was deciding on something important.

Finally he spoke, "Well, Loke, how long do you intend to stay in this world?"

_For as long as it takes to make sure that Lucy is no longer suffering and in pain over Natsu_, "For a while sir."

Markarov nodded, as if he expected that.

"Well, then can I assume you're staying with Lucy?" Loke and Lucy both nodded, "That's good. Then you will be in charge of protection detail." Loke nodded, acknowledging the order.

Lucy though, would have none of it.

"What? Protection detail? No. Not happening. Loke was staying with me anyways, so I don't mind that, but I'm not letting him get hurt for my sake. I-"

Loke cut her off, not able to stand it anymore, "Lucy, It's the spirits' job to protect their masters. I would be doing this anyways, and it's not like I can die anyways, as you pointed out earlier."

He could tell that she wanted to object further, but apparently something about him stopped her because she looked at Loke for one long second and then turned to Markarov.

"We still don't know why they're targeting Lucy." Erza pointed out.

Markarov sighed at this, "We won't without more information. We will need to wait for the opponent to make his move."

Loke felt a wave of anger rush over him. This wasn't a freaking chess game. Lucy's life was at stake here, and Markarov was willing to let the other guy come after her just to learn why he was targeting her? That was the same as using her as bait, and that wasn't okay.

However, Loke didn't say anything. It wasn't like he had any better ideas, and also, there was no way the attacker was going to get anywhere near her so long as he could breathe.

Later, when they had finished informing Markarov of the recent attack, all three of them walked over to a table and joined Natsu and Gray. Loke hated that he was bringing Lucy over here. Natsu, being the clueless buffoon that he was, would surely say something about Lisanna or Lucy that would be hurtful to the latter girl.

Apparently though, he didn't have to worry. Almost as soon as they sat down, Levey came over, grabbed Lucy's arm and dragged her back to wherever it was that she had been sitting babbling about ancient runes that were in some long forgotten language. Lucy looked surprised, but soon started smiling and nodding, trying her very best to understand what on earth her friend was talking about. Loke smiled as he watched, grateful to Levey for taking Lucy away from her source of pain.

After a while, Lucy's attention was pulled in another direction. Cana wanted to talk to her right now. Then Romeo, then Mirajane…

He watched Lucy intently. If the others asked, it was because he was making sure she was safe. He was the head of protection detail after all. It would make sense to them.

However, he wanted to watch her peers interact with her. The lens was designed to only watch the user's master. It didn't show the others around them.

And boy, was he missing a big part of the picture.

The demeanor of the people around her visibly changed. Suddenly they weren't so sad or tired, or whatever it was they had been feeling. They were much more cheerful. Relaxing a bit, or even smiling and laughing with her. As she walked up to Mirajane, the bartender suddenly had a little more pep in her step, more energy to do her tiring job. Romeo stopped crying. Loke assumed that his father had been sent on another mission. She was like a breath of fresh air. She was like sunshine.

That's what most people seemed to think here. She walked around, completely ignorant to the lightening atmosphere of her guild, and even more oblivious to the fact that it was due to her mere presence. She received admiring gazes from the men, but there was no lust in them. Just awe for the woman who stood before them. The women and children looked upon her gratefully, as she took a towel and started to wipe down the counter, much to Mirajane's protests. No one else in the guild had this kind of beauty. No one had such a warm, loving personality that they affected those around them in such a way.

It was then that Loke realized something. The love he felt for Lucy was selfless and deeper than he could fathom. It was the first time he had ever felt this way. He just wanted to give his whole heart to Lucy, but of course there were problems with that. He remembered questioning how Lucy could give so much of her heart away, to so many people. Everyone she met, it seemed, got some portion of her heart. Some portion of her love. He hadn't understood how she could keep going. Surly her love was limited in some way. How could she keep giving like this?

Finally, he knew.

Lucy loved everyone as deeply as he loved her. Not in the same way, she loved them all as her friends, but she loved in the emotion's purest and most unadulterated form. That was why she gave herself to those around her. She wanted to give them her heart.

Loke smiled at that. It was like she was giving her heart away for safe keeping. She wanted to care for everyone, and she wanted them to care for her, if it was ever necessary.

He couldn't think of anything more beautiful.

All the people of this guild…all the people she had ever met…they all held some part of her, and she gave it to them willingly. It was like she was wrapping them in her love, and showing them how to love as she did.

And that was when Loke realized that Lucy had taught him how to love her, just by loving him in her own special way.

This girl, she was a central part of the guild now. Her fellow wizards counted on her to lift their spirits, to give them a reason to keep going. They trusted her with this role, and she just kept giving and giving. She did it so selflessly, so passionately, and so unknowingly.

And so, Loke watched the afternoon pass in that fashion. Lucy stayed away from their table, away from Natsu, away from her own pain. Instead she lifted the pain of others. And she continued to do so until it was about closing time for the guild. Everyone had left by then. Everyone except Lucy, Mirajane and Loke, that is. Lucy looked exhausted. She hadn't had a chance to rest in days. She never slept well on jobs, and she had been an emotional wreck only three days ago.

Loke was waiting for her, so that they could walk home together. He didn't want her hurt on the way back, and with what was going on, he wasn't about to let her out of his sight.

She talked with Mirajane for hours. Occasionally the bartender would glance over at Loke, but was soon drawn back to the conversation with Lucy.

The two women seemed to be catching up on the events of the past few days. Finally, Lucy could take no more and fell asleep on the counter. Mirajane smiled and took the glass of water from her hand.

Loke was up in an instant and gathered Lucy in his arms for the walk to her house. Mirajane smiled at him.

"You're staying with her?" She asked. He nodded.

"Then I hope you will behave yourself mister." She said this with an evil grin on her face.

Loke rolled his eyes, "Please. I'm not that kind of guy anymore Mira. Never was really."

The woman smiled sweetly, "I know, but still…" she looked fondly at Lucy and then her expression grew more serious, "I must ask you to be careful with her. She has suffered quite a bit in the last few days."

Why did they all suspect that he would hurt her? Didn't they know that he could never do that?

But then he thought of that afternoon. How important the girl currently resting in his arms was to her friends. They needed her as much as he did.

"I know. Don't worry, I won't hurt her."

Mirajane smiled, "I didn't think so. Have a good night."

Loke set the sleeping girl down on her bed and tucked her in. He doubted she would appreciate waking up only to realize that he had changed her clothes in her sleep, so he left that particular part of this process untouched.

After she was safely situated, he laid out blankets on the floor. Tomorrow he would drag the couch in here, but for now, he was content with the blankets. He placed his makeshift bed in between the door and the window of her room. This way no one could get in without his knowledge. No one was going to touch this girl.

And that's how he fell asleep. He was staring out the window, watching as the moon rose over the city. It looked as if some invisible force held it in place over the sky. A glowing silver orb, watching over the city of Magnolia. Beautiful.

And that was the last thing he thought about as he fell asleep. The moon watched over everyone at night, much like Lucy did during the day. They were similar in many ways.

When Loke woke the next morning, it was to the smell of pancakes.

He hadn't realized he was so hungry. Immediately he was alert, so he scrambled out of the tangle of blankets that had entrapped him during the night. He had been restless in his sleep. Oh well, that was sort of normal for him. He was the lion spirit. It was to be expected.

He walked into Lucy's kitchen and was greeted by a warm scene. Lucy was staring intently at the food that she was apparently putting so much effort into cooking. She was still in the clothes she had worn yesterday, and her hair was tangled. Her cheeks were a little pink from standing over the oven for so long, and there was a stack of golden brown flapjacks piled high on a plate next to the oven. Lucy looked beautiful, at least in Loke's eyes. He could imagine getting used to this. Waking up, greeting Lucy, watching her cook for him, cooking for her…

"Morning." He said quietly. He had to shake these thoughts away. Even if Lucy shared his feelings, which he wasn't sure of at this point, she deserved a better husband than he could be. She deserved someone constant, someone who could always be with her, every day of her life. Loke could not.

She turned around, surprised. "Morning!" She said cheerily. He smiled. Contrary to popular belief, Lucy really was a morning person. She just didn't appreciate waking to find Natsu sleeping next to her. Not that Loke could really criticize the boy for it at this point. Hadn't he done almost the same exact thing just a few nights ago?

"So how are you today, master?" He asked. She seemed pretty okay, like she didn't need anyone at all times. If she weren't under a death threat, he would feel alright about leaving her to her own devices now.

She frowned at him. "You know, you don't need to call me that."

He shrugged, "Princess?"

She rolled her eyes, "I can see that you aren't going to budge on this. Just know that I prefer Lucy, and I'm fine thank you."

He grinned at her. Lucy's normal tolerance level for his teasing was back.

She turned back to her cooking, "Sit, I'm almost done and then I'm going to change and we can go." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "And speaking of clothes, do you actually own another suit? If not, then I'm taking you shopping today."

He shook his head. The truth was, he really only owned one set of clothing. In the spirit world, hygiene wasn't really an issue. Spirits were immortal beings after all. They were frozen at the state of which they had been created. They were restored every time they returned to the spirit world, which meant that after a few days in the human world he probably looked a little grungy.

"Good. I love an excuse to shop." She said with a smile, and placed the plate of pancakes in front of him.

"Save some for me!" She shouted over her shoulder.

He smiled, "No promises!"

She shut the door.

And then it happened.

Just as he was about to take his first bite, he heard a yelp come from the other room.

He was up in a flash and burst through the door. What he saw there would haunt him for a long time to come.

Lucy was standing there, with a knife on her throat and pinned against the wall. She glared at the intruder, but Loke saw fear in her eyes. Anger coursed through him.

The attacker turned to look at Loke. The spirit felt his stomach drop. He recognized this man.

"Hello Leo. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

a/n Alright don't shoot me. I didn't particularly enjoy writing this chapter, and most likely this entire chapter will go under revision. It was supposed to be more of a transitory chapter and I suck at writing those. This will almost definitely go under revision. For some reason it seems like I can only write this story at one and two in the morning. Fun right? Anyways, thanks to all who review and I'm sorry for the wait!

**This was described in chapter 2 during Loke's conversation with Crux


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